Drift Drivers Smoked out King Fahd Stadium last weekend when professional drifting made its debut at the Race Of Champions hosted at the King Fahad Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Ahmad Daham took the win at the on the main event shownight. Daham showed his vast experience and put his Red Bull S15 on the perfect line getting the best speed and scores taking the win over local hero Muath Al-Essa from AL Khobar near Riyadh. Abdulhadi Al Qatani and Saeed Al Mouri battled it out for the reminign postions in the final 4.

In the main event 13-time Formula 1 grand prix winner David Coulthard won the Race Of Champions trophy for a second time. Coulthard, who also took the ROC Champion of Champions crown in 2014, prevailed after a win over double World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg in the Grand Final

‘Mr Le Mans’ Tom Kristensen and 2017 World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson made it as far as the semi-finals

Friday nights triumphant ROC Nations Cup winners for Team Germany René Rast and Timo Bernhard both went out in the group stages

Saudi Arabian drivers Ahmed Bin Khanen and Yazeed Al-Rajhi thrilled their home crowds with strong racing on ROC’s first ever visit to the Middle East.

It is confirmed June 15-16th we are bringing the biggest ever Professional drift event to the Unitied Kingdom.Building of the success of previous World Famous Speedway events of the 70,80’s and most recently the region wide monster truck shows, we are bringing a motorsports festval to the Provident Stadium in Bradford. Yorkshire has a deep heritage in motorsport and with Bradford being ideally positioned between Leeds,Manchester,Liverpool, york and Sheffield it is ideally positioned to bring in new fans to the sport.With some of our biggest events being held in Manchester and Newcastle this event is set to be the biggest.

After the great success of Previous London events at Wembley,Olympic Stadium and the NEC Birmingham this is one step further into showcasing the biggest event ever in the UK , we are going to develop the existing circuit and install a temporary circuit on the infield to build the most complete circuit in the UK creating an amazing Amphitheatre experience.

Not only that it will be a 2 day evening style eveny with headline Music acts on both Nights.

Professional drifting to debut at the Race Of Champions 2018 in Riyadh

Professional drifting will make its Race Of Champions debut next week (February 2/3) when the annual motorsport extravaganza celebrates its 30th anniversary at the King Fahad Stadium in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Drifting’s inclusion comes at a time when appearances at other mainstream motorsport events, such as Formula 1 and the Goodwood Festival of Speed, have helped fuel the high-octane discipline’s growing popularity around the world.

Race Of Champions’ inaugural ROC Drifting Challenge involves drivers completing two laps in the fastest possible time while also drifting around certain sections of the narrow eight-metre-wide track. The concrete-lined lanes and cross-over bridge are sure to provide a stern test for the very best drivers, the fastest of which will be crowned ROC Drift Champion.

With ROC making its Middle East debut this year, it’s perhaps fitting that the region’s best drifters have been assembled to showcase their sport on the global stage.

ROC Riyadh will take place inside the King Fahad International Stadium on February 2-3. For more info see www.raceofchampions.com

Many of the reigning champions who dominated motorsport series all over the world in 2017 have joined the field of driving royalty assembling for next week’s Race Of Champions – to be held on February 2-3, 2018 in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at Riyadh’s King Fahad International Stadium.

The ROC Riyadh field already includes some of the greatest names in the history of motorsport such as Formula 1 stars, Indianapolis 500 winners and Le Mans legends. Now they will be joined by a host of current stars who are at the top of their game in everything from rallycross to touring cars to endurance racing to NASCAR.

Germany’s Timo Bernhard will make his ROC debut after a stunning year for Porsche in which he took his second win at the Le Mans 24 Hours (alongside Brendon Hartley and Earl Bamber) before adding the overall FIA World Endurance Championship. He will be joined in Riyadh by his fellow countryman René Rast, who stunned the tin-top world by sealing the 2017 DTM crown in a Team Rosberg Audi in his first full year.

Sweden will also be well represented in Riyadh, starting with another ROC debutant: 2017 FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson had a dazzling year, at one point taking five successive wins to see off a star-studded field and romp to the crown. Young Swedish charger Joel Eriksson will be in action too, after a season in which he took seven FIA European F3 Championship wins and was pipped to the title by British ace Lando Norris. The pair can now resume hostilities next week…

There will also be two Mexican drivers making their Race Of Champions debuts in Riyadh after sealing championships in 2017. Triple Daytona 24 Hours winner and four-time Grand-Am Champion Memo Rojas added the European Le Mans Series title to his impressive racing roll of honour, and he will now be joined on the ROC parallel track by newly-crowned NASCAR Mexico champion Abraham Calderon.

The new arrivals will have their work cut out against a line-up of motorsport legends including double Indianapolis 500 winner and F1 veteran Juan Pablo Montoya, who will defend the ROC Champion of Champions crown he won on his debut in Miami last year. Fellow Indy 500 winners Helio Castroneves and Ryan Hunter-Reay will be in action too, alongside reigning IndyCar champion Josef Newgarden.

‘Mr Le Mans’ Tom Kristensen and double FIA World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg.will compete alongside 13-time F1 grand prix winner David Coulthard and newly-crowned 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Champion Lando Norris. ROC Factor winners from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East will also earn the chance to take on this illustrious line-up of driving superstars.

Bernhard said: “Believe it or not I visited the Race Of Champions way back in 1989 when it came to the Nürburgring. That day I was just watching with my Dad but ever since I’ve been waiting for my chance to compete – and now that day has arrived! I’m really looking forward to racing on the famous ROC parallel track, and it will be a true privilege to take on such an amazing field of great drivers from all over the world who are all experts in their own fields. Bring it on…”

Kristoffersson added: “I’m thrilled to be competing at the Race Of Champions for the first time in Riyadh next week. I’ve long been a fan of the event and I’ve learned even more this year because my WRX team-mate Petter Solberg won’t stop talking about how great it is! Now I can finally experience ROC first-hand. It’s an honour to represent Sweden together with Joel Eriksson. Of course it will be a big challenge as a rookie, but I used to race touring cars so I hope that mix of experience can help me adapt quickly to all the different cars. Either way I look forward to putting on a great show for all the fans watching in the stadium and all over the world.”

The Race Of Champions is an annual contest which is now in its 30th year. It brings together some of the world’s greatest drivers from motor sport’s major disciplines – including Formula 1, IndyCar, Le Mans, World Rally and the X Games – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery.

Now the event is heading to the Middle East for the first time to soak up the heat of Riyadh. Saudi motorsport fans – including women for the first time at an international event – have a chance to watch the speediest action the city has ever seen as many of the world’s greatest drivers push to the absolute limit on a brand new parallel track winding its way around the confines of the King Fahad International Stadium.

The Race Of Champions is run over two days: first comes the ROC Nations Cup (on Friday February 2) when drivers pair up in teams based on nationality – including the hosts Saudi Arabia – to bid for the title of ‘World’s Fastest Nation’. Then on Saturday February 3 it’s time for the Race Of Champions itself, when teamwork goes out of the window and it’s a flat-out battle for individual glory.

The competitors will take to the track in a stunning range of supercars that have been specially prepared for the event to test them to the absolute limit. Vehicles in action include the Vuhl 05 ROC Edition, Ariel Atom Cup, Xtreme Pickup, Whelen NASCAR, KTM X-Bow Comp R and the ROC Car. To prevail, drivers will have to master this mix of machinery that will put all their hard-earned skills to the test, forcing them to adapt their driving style as they make regular switches between cars.

But that’s not all. The Race Of Champions is a non-stop show from start to finish and also features stunt shows on four wheels and two plus plenty of other entertainment to keep the race fans on the edge of their seats

ROC President Fredrik Johnsson said: “At the Race Of Champions we have always loved to take drivers from all sorts of different disciplines and throw them together in identical machinery to see who comes out on top. This year is no exception, and we have assembled another line-up of driving greats from all over the world.

“Our field now contains a mix of legends and current champions from Le Mans, IndyCar, Rally X, Formula 1, Touring Cars, NASCAR and more. If you’ve ever wondered which type of motorsport really has the best drivers of all, next week’s ROC Riyadh will give you the perfect chance to find out!”

For access to rights-free high-resolution imagery and to keep up with all the latest news ahead of this year’s event please visit www.raceofchampions.com, Race Of Champions on Facebook plus @raceofchampions and #ROCRiyadh on Twitter.

Morocco will play host to Round 3 of the series which will be held on the Streets of Marrakech. The Circuit International Automobile Moulay El Hassan is a temporary Street Circuit in Marrakech . Famous for hosting some spectacular WTCC races for the last 10 seasons and Formula E earlier this year.

Marrakech is one of the major economic Hubs for Northern Africa and is the most visitied Tourist destination in the area. It will be a great host nation to break through into Africa for 2018.

Design for the circuit begun back in August with concepts of utilising the Pit building and as much of the course as possible to make the course spectator friendly, yet fast and challenging for fans.

From the start there was positive energy in bringing this new motorsport to North Africa.All measures would be made to make this one of the most iconic stops of the season.

With the start finish straight area behind the Pit building , it gives full view for VIP guest’s of this event.

Turn 1 is a wide open entry with a small flick as it runs reverse into the traditional WTCC layout.

The power alley is 180 metres Section before you turn right back into the infield and have more concrete sections ending in front of the grandstands and Pit building.

This is a 100% concrete jungle

Full pit building anc complex for Teams/Crews and VIPs all ine one building withfull view of the circuit

Georgia is a country in the Causcasus region of Eurasia which is located on the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe and is bounded by the black sea and Russia to the north.A hugely fast exploding economy that is freash to embrace modern day motorsports just like we have done across europe this is the next step. in the evolution of rollign out more street circuits. The capitial is Tbilisi with a population of 3.7 Million.

So why Georgia – Why not – It is not often that we get a national state and city fully go behind our visions in creating what is going to be our most spectacular city centre course to date. 2018 onwards we are bringing professional drifting to the fans in these city centre locations.

Motorsport In Georgia is thriving with the World TCR Touring car series debuting at the Rustavi International motor circuit in 2017 . 2018 will see some of the best drivers across europe desced on Tbilisi city centre for what is shaping up to be Europe’s biggest ever event.

So back in May we had the first track inspection and after many designs came up with the approval and dimensions for the Tbilisi Street Course.

A few of the Criteria we usually ask for

City Centre Based location

Multiple Viewing Positions for fans and locations of grandstands

Minimal Disruption to the traffic Management System restricting the city on event Weekend

Ease of Access for Paddock /VIP’s and Spotters

Spectacular and Iconic Backdrop of the City

Full FIA Safety – Custom Homolagation Circuit

With an expected audience of over 30,000 Fans expected descend on Tbilisi over the two days this is going to be the biggest ever motorsport event to descend on the country.

(Turn 1 Across the Bridge )

Startline is 180 metre launch on to main entrance to the city across Nikoloz Baratashvili bridge 30 metres wide over the MTKVAR River with six lanes wide section with drivers having to link a huge 169metre transition.

(Traffic on the Nikoloz Baratashvili bridge Bridge)

Turn 2 things slow down slightly into a smaller 70 metre radius bend which then connect to a slip road which links on to the road beneath.

(Turn 3 is super tricky with a descend and elevation drop)

With 11 metres width and junction turn you then transition to the lower riverside level.

And extend to the final corner infront of the National Arts Centre where thousands of fans will be able to see 1000 Hp drift cars smokign up Tbilisi

Over the coming months we will be releasing more teasers of the track promo and simulations of what is shaping up to be the most spectacular street drift tarck to date.

2018 will see an all new look to the season with the series reaching all corners of Europe from east to west and even reaching into Africa/Asia for the first time.

The 2018 season will begin in Catalunya, with Barcelona forming the opening round of the championship at the World famous Circuit De Catalunya outside Barcelona (April 13-14th). The teams will then drop south to our first stop in North Africa at Marrakesh Grand Prix Street circuit (April 27-28th). Drift GP Portugal will happen a week later on May 4-5th.

We return to the UK for the very first stadium event gets converted into a motorsport entertainment arena (June 16-17th ) followed by a return to Tours Speedway for the French Drift GP alongside the Nascar Whelan series (June 29-30th)

For the third year running we return to Germany at Europe’s biggest Japanese tuning show, Reisbrennen (August 3-4th) at the Lausitzring and then, shortly after that, all the teams take a short trip across the Black Sea to Tbisili Street circuit which is shaping up to be our biggest ever event to date, with the whole Georgian state embracing this International Drift event on the streets of the city centre Tbisili.

With 1 Stadium event, 3 street circuits and 5 city centre events this season, we will bring the events back to the fans in urban locations, truly showcasing the sport to fans across Europe.

*Round’s 2-7 will run late evening/Night events on Saturdays to take advantage of our Global Live Broadcast distribution making sure fans get access to the action.

Over the coming weeks we will be making many exciting new announcements including; 2018 partners, event/format restructures, rule changes and mainstream media shifts. Plus, the new driver line up for the #DGP2018 – bringing a welcome change to the entertainment of European drifting.

Record Breaking viewing figures show that Drift GP is the most viewed LIVE Motorsport across the Facebook Live service

For the 2017 season the Drift GP distribution team decided to do a pre-season survey to see what the fans wanted. The results found that the majority of our Millennial Fanbase were more in tune with watching live mobile video than traditional linear live TV. 65% For Mobile Social Video to 35% Traditional TV route.

The choice was to socially distribute the sport but at scale in 2017 rather than going down the tried and tested traditional linear route and risk not getting the distribution desired. The sport of drifting is still very new and is trying to break that mainstream wave and in 2017 that was very successful with a host of online media partners adding our Live event coverage as part of their broadcast package. One of those key distribution partners was UNILAD – The World’s most viewed video Facebook page with over 32 Million followers.

The numbers speak for themselves with over 9.2 million fans tuning in for the 6 Live events and reaching 51 Million fans in 147 Countries. The busiest event of the season was the Swedish Drift GP in July with over 1.8 Million views over the course of the 1 day event.

Drift GP CEO, Niall Gunn, added: “We are a disruptive motorsport and this season we sent out a strong message with our high level production and showing how powerful and interactive this sport can be when socially distributed. The future of TV is the Internet. The exciting thing is we are still only at 25% of our current distribution, and with Facebook Watch coming in the next few months it is an exciting time ahead.”

Liam Harrington, CEO of Unilad stated: “Our partnership with DriftGP was our first move into the motorsport world and I’m really pleased to say it was a successful one. We streamed 6 events over the year and our audience couldn’t get enough of the live action. We are really excited for what the next year of DriftGP will bring.”

With the first 12 months of Facebook LIVE broadcasting being quite breakthrough in the broadcastmarket and now talks of NFL and Football Premiership rights changing to this platform could this be the future of Live sports programming.

Thanks again to our distribution partners UNILAD, Drivetribe, StreetFX and many more for sharing the broadcast.

Drift GP Round 6 – Hungary Drift GP Results
The inaugural Drift GP saw a season that would come down to the wire for the Finale at the Hungaroring International Circuit based just outside Budapest, the Capital of Hungary.

With a super close points race it was all to play for going into the finals, with just 50 points separating the top 5 drivers. With this course having many elevation changes, along with a power sapping turn 1-2 high speed entry it brought a diverse track which would prove a test to the best drivers in Europe.

With the German Drift GP still fresh in everyone’s minds it was business as usual, with the top 5 very close in Qualifying. Fredrik øksnevad would lock out P5 , with championship leader Juha Pöytälaakso taking P4.

The top 3 would be separated by just 0.67 points. Sebastian Fontijn would have to push very hard in this power hungry course, taking P3, Andrius Vasiliauskas would show more pace in his new BMW, taking P2. Yet again, however, Nigel Colfer would lay it all on the line, taking P1.

When it came down to the battles a small burst of rain just before the session started would throw down very unpredictable weather conditions.

The first person caught out in this would be in an all Lithuanian battle between Benediktas čirba and Andrius Vasiliauskas. After a huge crash in practice Bendiktas would have no answer to his country man and bought out in the first round.

Great 8
Juha Pöytälaakso would go off track in his run against Fredrik Oksnevad, giving the Norwegian a huge advantage in the Championship chase and sending him into the final 4.

Nigel Colfer would send Cypriot Enver Haskasap home after a close battle over the two runs
Championship contender Sebastian Fontijn would lose to Dmitriy Illyuk after contact in the first corner. With lost momentum from Fontijn it was enough to end his day and his championship run.

Andrius Vasiliauskas Vs Dmitriy Illyuk would be a huge battle, with both drivers pushing in there 1000+hp cars. With huge pride on line between both drivers, a mistake forced by each driver on their chase runs would send it into a one more time where Vasiliauskas eventually prevailed.

In the second semi-final, two Triace team-mates would duke it out with Nigel Colfer leading off against Fredrik Oksnevad. Colfer would make a big mistake in his lead run making contact with the barrier and giving a huge advantage to Oksnevad who went on the take the win.

Final
Andrius would lead off against Fredrik in this Lithuania vs Norway battle. Andrius would lead off again in a superfast run laying it down and Fredrik just had no answer to this strong lead. Fredrik would do his best in the second leg but would have no answer to Andrius lead run.

Andrius Vasiliauskas later added ‘This was the win we were waiting for our all new BMW E92 chassis, in just its second appearance it gave us the confidence to push for the win. This gives us great confidence and movement going into the 2018 season’

In the Championship chase Andrius last minute push nearly saw him knock Juha Poytalasssko off the top step. Juha would take the championship by just 6 points when all was said and done.
1.Juha Pöytälaakso Finland Westlake Tires
2.Andrius Vasilaukas Lithuania – Turbo System Zestino Tires
3.Fredrik Okksenvad Norway –Triace Tyre

Juha added ‘This is what we have worked for over the last 3 seasons, with slow gradual improvements this is the proof if you put in the work you can get a reward. It has been a tough season with just two podiums but very worthwhile and we cannot wait to get back to Finland to the fans who have been hugely supportive.

Again viewership was just above 1 million for this event with a season total of 9.24 Million viewers, and over 50 million fans reached through our live broadcast, being the most viewed live Social distributed motorsport across Facebook in 2017.

About Budapest
With 2.7 million visitors per year, a vibrant nightlife, lots of restaurants, beautiful architecture and rich history, Budapest is one of Europe’s most delightful and enjoyable cities, so no wonder it is nicknamed “Paris of the East”.​

“boo-dah-pesht” is divided into 2 major parts, Buda- The area west from the Danube and Pest – The area east from the Danube and most known for its pulsating city atmosphere.
Budapest offers a rather high quality vacation for a reasonable budget in terms of culture, cuisine, active nightlife and general ‘vibe’ is comparable to other major European cities while prices are lower.
Budapest is the perfect combination of rich history and the ultra-modern and is the ideal backdrop for your next extreme drift vacation. So what are you waiting for?
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For more information on Budapest: http://www.budapest.com

For 2017 the German Drift GP would again return to collaborate with the Reisbrennen show, where over 30,000 fans would get a chance to see some of the best drift drivers in Europe. Eurospeedway Lausitzring, just south of Berlin, serves as the perfect central location for all European teams to travel to, while it’s high speed layout would provide another interesting addition to the tour.
With the Swedish Drift GP still fresh in everyone’s minds it was business as usual and with a change in the top of the points standing it was all to play for. Drifting has come a long way in Germany but the German Drift GP in just its second year and provides a great platform for the drivers and media to get exposure at what is Europe’s biggest meeting of the Japanese Tuning scene.
In qualifying again this season we would see some upsets. Andrius Vasilauskas would debut his new BMW E92 and in prompt fashion take P3 showing it’s potential on it’s first outing.
Sebastian Fontijn would scream his 450HP MPO Racing BMW into P2 showing that although this was a ‘power’ circuit, driver skill was still the most important factor. The high speed yet very technical track was taking no prisoners and was catching out a lot of drivers.
Nigel Colfer would take a zero in his first run, raising tensions, but went on to smash out a huge run in the second leg to take P1 showing he was hungry for the win.
When it came down to the battles a small burst of rain was enough to suddenly turn the event, and the results, upside down with some major upsets which no-one could have predicted.
German Driver Axel Mack would be revelling in the conditions marching through the Top 32 to the great 8 after dealing with Federico Scerrifo and Sebastian Fontijn who both making mistakes and exiting early.
After his misfortune in Sweden where he failed to even make it on track after car troubles, Ukrainian Champ Dmitriy Illyuk would stamp his authority early on and dispatch championship contender Nigel Colfer, putting the Irishman on the boat home.
Andrius Vasiliauskas led strongly in his first run against local driver Andy Wichnewski but the slippery conditions caught him out and he made contact with the German during his chase run after making an unforced error and exiting the competition much earlier than expected in the top 16.

Highlight of the Great 8

Ukrainian Dmitiry takes out another top German, Max Heidrich after contact.
Triace Team mates Oksnevad and Eglite would do battle and after two super close runs Fredox, the Norwegian, would move to the final 4.
-Andy Wichnewski would have a close battle but in the end could not match the pace and savagery of current Championship leader Juha Poytalaksso.
Final 4 with more upsets
Fredox vs Dmitry was a battle of the seasoned regulars. The two have faced each other several times before and each would be charging hard. Fredox has an amazing lead in the first run but in the second run there would be contact between Dmitry and Fredox as the Ukrainian led into turn one, sending him off the track and handing him a large advantage and thus a pass into the final
In the second semi-final, Finnish driver Juha Rintanen would end Axel Mack’s day. After the local driver’s run of great luck in front of his home crowd, the points leader was just too strong for the German Driver and would advance to the final as the certainty that he would be increasing his championship lead.
Final
Dmitry Illyuk vs Juha Poytalaakso would turn out to be incredibly intense. With conditions now starting to dry up very quickly with wet/dry patches appearing and visibility dropping quickly as the sun set, this final would come down to the very last run. A superior lead by Juha with no mistakes was enough to dispatch the Ukrainain and end his run in the event. Juha takes the win and extends his points lead in the standings going into the next event in Hungary.

Juha Poytalaksso later added ‘This was a huge win for our team at a crucial time. It was a very tricky event with the dry/wet conditions but it was great to put the Westlake Tyre BMW on top of the podium. We extend our points now going into the end of the season and are in a great position to lead instead of chasing for top spot like last year.’

Watch the Top 16 finals Below
Again live viewership was north of 1.7 Million viewers across 5 pages, with reach going to over 11 million fans globally showing the social media power of this millenial motorsport. The biggest motorsport to be distributed at scale across social media distribution. The main show on UNILAD grossed 1.1 Million views alone which can be viewed below

In just under 3 weeks the tour moves to the Famous Hangaroring F1 Circuit for the Hungarian Drift GP. Just being held outside the capitial at Bucharest this all new high speed layout will be another great test for the drivers.Friday make sure to check in with the International parade when we bring 40 Professional drift cars to Heroes Square in Budapest city centre.